Search

Lake Sturgeon

Acipenseridae (sturgeons) in the order Acipenseriformes (sturgeons and paddlefishes)

Description:

Long, streamlined, sharklike body; long bony snout; rows of sharp, bony, armored plates (scutes). The sucker-type mouth is located under the long bony snout. Lake sturgeon have short, rounded snouts compared to those of our other sturgeon species. Also, the four barbels dangling from in front of the mouth on a lake sturgeon are smooth and not fringed or serrated. Young lake sturgeon are mottled light and dark brown. Adults are solid dark brown or slate-colored with white belly.

Size:

Length: to 8 feet; weight: to 300 pounds.

Habitat and conservation:

An inhabitant of rivers, preferring firm, silt-free bottoms of sand, gravel and rock. The decline of this endangered species is being fought with several approaches: Protection from fishing, reestablishing self-sustaining populations, habitat improvement and river management to provide more of the areas these fish need to survive, artificial propagation, research and population monitoring, management and education.

Foods:

Sturgeon feed on the bottom using their highly protrusible mouth to suck up their food. They eat primarily larval aquatic insects, crayfish, snails, small clams and small fish. As they grow larger, their dependency on small fish for food increases. However, sturgeon can be scavengers at times, feeding on dead animal matter, and are often caught by catfish anglers using worms or cut bait (cut-up fish).

Distribution in Missouri:

Mainly in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers but have also been known to occur in the two rivers’ larger tributaries.

Status:

Rare and endangered in Missouri.

Life cycle:

Lake sturgeon can live to be 150 years old and become mature at 15–20 years of age. They don’t spawn every year. Females only spawn once every 3–5 years. This slow reproductive rate makes sturgeon vulnerable to overharvest. They are extremely migratory fish, and they can travel hundreds of miles each year on spawning migrations. Spawning peaks in the first half of May. Human alterations of river channels have ruined much of the habitat sturgeon need to breed and for their young to survive.

Human connections:

Sturgeon have a history of overharvest for various uses, but especially for their flesh and caviar. Lake sturgeon are now protected and must be returned to the water if captured. Sturgeon evolved during the Jurassic era and survived where the dinosaurs didn’t. Sturgeon are living links to the past.

Ecosystem connections:

These fish have thrived for 150 million years and have been brought to the brink of extinction in just the last century. They are eight-foot-long, bottom-feeding predator-scavengers specially fitted for life in the swift currents of our big rivers; their role cannot be duplicated by other fish.

Related Information

The lake sturgeon recovery program's mission is to improve populations of a state-endangered species, and increase the sturgeon’s numbers sufficiently to provide a unique sport fishing opportunity to Missouri anglers. Download this document to learn more.

Other Content You May Like

Similar to shovelnose sturgeon, but with a longer and more pointed snout. Bases of the inner barbels are weakly fringed, and the base of an inner barbel is less than half the width of the base of an outer barbel.

Two small, jet-black spots at the base of the tail fin distinguish this small fish from the more than 30 other darters found in our state. Known from only a few tributaries of the Osage River, this dainty and colorful fish is a nationally threatened species.

A rare fish adapted cave conditions, the grotto sculpin used to be considered simply a different form of banded sculpin. It has recently been designated an endangered species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. It's found only in Perry County, Missouri.

Currently found in only a few Missouri streams, the Topeka shiner is an endangered native minnow that has declined precipitously because of environmental pollution, siltation, and loss or alteration of habitat.

This small, colorless, blind fish lives its entire life in springs, cave streams and underground waters. It has been declared Endangered in our state and as Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Regs and Areas

Shortened URL

Permalink for this page:
http://mdc.mo.gov/node/1003

Serving Nature and You

MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources. We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature. Read more about our mission.